Lafourche schools change teacher pay system

Published: Sunday, February 10, 2013 at 6:41 p.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, February 10, 2013 at 6:41 p.m.

The Lafourche Parish school system will revamp how it pays teachers, raising the base pay and changing how it doles out raises.

The system is making the changes because of new state laws that require schools to pay teachers based on performance, not experience alone.

Under the current system, teachers make a starting base pay. For a teacher with a bachelor’s degree, that base pay is $37,975 during the first year.

For every year of experience a teacher gets, the salary grows.

The School Board voted Wednesday to increase the base salary to $40,000 for the next school year. That means most teachers in the parish will get some salary bump, Finance Manager Don Gaudet said.

The School Board voted to cap the bump at 30 years experience, so teachers with that much experience won’t see a pay jump.

Starting in the 2014-2015 school year, teachers will no longer automatically get a raise with each year. Instead, they will earn raises based on their scores on the state’s new COMPASS evaluation system.

COMPASS uses a complex formula of student test scores and principal evaluations to assign each teacher a score at the end of the year. Those scores range from a one, or “ineffective,” to a four, or “highly effective.”

Under the new system, raises will be based on a teacher’s COMPASS score for that year. Those raises will be $1,500 for a four, $800 for a three, $600 for a two and no raise for a one.

Gaudet said the changes will cost the school district about $2.4 million next year because of the base salary increase. The board will pay those costs by shifting money within its internal accounts.

Over the long term, however, Gaudet expects the district won’t cost the school more because of the normal retirement process and growth in tax collections.

Personnel Supervisor Louis Voiron said it’s hard to know exactly who would be affected by the changes.

“At this point we’re in the first year of implementing the evaluation system,” Voiron said. “We really don’t know how many people are going to get what ratings.”

Voiron said only about a third of teachers are receiving the “value-added” statistical part of the COMPASS system. So many teachers’ pay will hinge on in-class evaluations by principals.

Teachers would be best served by making sure they know how the evaluations work, Voiron said. He encouraged teachers to read the material and watch the training videos on the state Department of Education’s new website, louisianabelieves.com.

Staff Writer Matthew Albright can be reached at 448-7635 or at matthew.albright@dailycomet.com.

<p>The Lafourche Parish school system will revamp how it pays teachers, raising the base pay and changing how it doles out raises.</p><p>The system is making the changes because of new state laws that require schools to pay teachers based on performance, not experience alone. </p><p>Under the current system, teachers make a starting base pay. For a teacher with a bachelor's degree, that base pay is $37,975 during the first year.</p><p>For every year of experience a teacher gets, the salary grows.</p><p>The School Board voted Wednesday to increase the base salary to $40,000 for the next school year. That means most teachers in the parish will get some salary bump, Finance Manager Don Gaudet said.</p><p>The School Board voted to cap the bump at 30 years experience, so teachers with that much experience won't see a pay jump.</p><p>Starting in the 2014-2015 school year, teachers will no longer automatically get a raise with each year. Instead, they will earn raises based on their scores on the state's new COMPASS evaluation system.</p><p>COMPASS uses a complex formula of student test scores and principal evaluations to assign each teacher a score at the end of the year. Those scores range from a one, or “ineffective,” to a four, or “highly effective.” </p><p>Under the new system, raises will be based on a teacher's COMPASS score for that year. Those raises will be $1,500 for a four, $800 for a three, $600 for a two and no raise for a one. </p><p>Gaudet said the changes will cost the school district about $2.4 million next year because of the base salary increase. The board will pay those costs by shifting money within its internal accounts.</p><p>Over the long term, however, Gaudet expects the district won't cost the school more because of the normal retirement process and growth in tax collections.</p><p>Personnel Supervisor Louis Voiron said it's hard to know exactly who would be affected by the changes.</p><p>“At this point we're in the first year of implementing the evaluation system,” Voiron said. “We really don't know how many people are going to get what ratings.”</p><p>Voiron said only about a third of teachers are receiving the “value-added” statistical part of the COMPASS system. So many teachers' pay will hinge on in-class evaluations by principals. </p><p>Teachers would be best served by making sure they know how the evaluations work, Voiron said. He encouraged teachers to read the material and watch the training videos on the state Department of Education's new website, louisianabelieves.com.</p><p>Staff Writer Matthew Albright can be reached at 448-7635 or at matthew.albright@dailycomet.com.</p>